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Real-time systems engineering and application
Book Reviews
Real-Time Systems Engineering and Application,
that their book was not intended to be a problemsolving reference book, and is in fact not. While certain (e.g., fundamental, system and software) issues are elaborated very competently and in detail by Hoogeboom, Halang, Stoyenko, Schnieder, Marigold, and Rzehak, there are some equally important topics deserving to be stressed more consistently. The hardware architectures (limited to microprocessors) which should provide a sound basis for predictable real-time systems, for instance, are dealt with, by Bemmerl, in a very general and not adequate way as compared to the specific real-time requirements well explained in previous chapters. Where different authors contribute their personal views of the subject, there is a danger of repeating the same material, as it happens with the ISO-OSI model (pages 264 and 284). Also, although demonstrating different perspectives, contradictory opinions of two authors about the same thing can be confusing, like about the real-time language PEARL (pages 153 and 213 ).
by Michael SCHIEBE and Saskia PFERRER (Editors); The Kluwer International Series in Engineering and Computer Science. Real-Time Systems: Kluwer Academic Publishers; Boston/Dordrecht; 1992; 444 + xiv pp.; £62-25; ISBN: 0-7923-9196-9 Reviewer." Matjaz COLNARIC University of Maribor, Slovenia The Kluwer International Series in Engineering and Computer Science, in its section devoted to real-time systems, combines a number of both theoretically and practically oriented works. Following the direction firmly set by one of the Series' first monographs, "Constructing Predictable Real Time Systems" by Halang and Stoyenko, this book definitely falls into the class of practically relevant and useful contributions. As Schiebe says in his preface, the editors' aim was to "make suggestions of different kinds of novel approaches to real-time systems engineering" while providing "a source book and a textbook at the same time". They gathered a long list of prevailingly German authors (with the exceptions of Hoogeboom and Stoyenko) contributing chapters in the domain of their expertise, "to cast light on this rapidly developing discipline from diverse angles without hamlonising the different perspectives the authors may have".
In spite of such shortcomings, the book certainly does provide a good tutorial to control and computer engineers involved in practice in the domain of realtime systems, and is also suitable to be used as a textbook for introductory courses in real-time systems. I am sure that this audience will find it worth reading.
The well-orgamsed book leads the reader through six parts, consisting of sixteen chapters. After the Introduction, in the part on Theoretical Foundations, the basic concepts concerning time and schedulability analysis are given. The next part covers Models and Tools, in particular Petri nets and requirements engineering. In the fourth part, titled Practical Considerations, seven practically oriented chapters dealing ,ith real-time programming languages, synchronisation concepts, database ~stems, processor architectures, system buses, distributed systems, and issues in robot programming are gathered. In the next part. two examples of applications from robotics and avionics are presented. Finally, some directions for future developments are given: The interesting field of artificial intelligence in real-time systems is briefly discussed, and a real-time systems curriculum is recommended.
Systematic Introduction to Expert Systems, by Frank PUPPE; Springer-Verlag; Berlin: 1993; 352 pp.; DM48-20; ISBN: 3-5490-5625-9 Reviewer: Abraham KANDEL University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA The increased interest in expert systems and the variety of applications in science and engineering indicate that the major problems in the development of "applied expert systems" are the acquisition and maintenance of knowledge as well as the validation and verification of expert systems. This is especially apparent in rule-based expert systems. The aim of Puppe's text, Systematic Introduction to Expert Systems, is to present the reader with the author's systematic view of the state of the art regarding the identification and realization of strong problem-solving techniques and to indicate the prospects for their integration within the domain of expert systems.
The book is in general self-contained; most chapters, however, also provide the reader with a number of good references for further reading. The editors say
907
Real-Time Systems Engineering and Application,
that their book was not intended to be a problemsolving reference book, and is in fact not. While certain (e.g., fundamental, system and software) issues are elaborated very competently and in detail by Hoogeboom, Halang, Stoyenko, Schnieder, Marigold, and Rzehak, there are some equally important topics deserving to be stressed more consistently. The hardware architectures (limited to microprocessors) which should provide a sound basis for predictable real-time systems, for instance, are dealt with, by Bemmerl, in a very general and not adequate way as compared to the specific real-time requirements well explained in previous chapters. Where different authors contribute their personal views of the subject, there is a danger of repeating the same material, as it happens with the ISO-OSI model (pages 264 and 284). Also, although demonstrating different perspectives, contradictory opinions of two authors about the same thing can be confusing, like about the real-time language PEARL (pages 153 and 213 ).
by Michael SCHIEBE and Saskia PFERRER (Editors); The Kluwer International Series in Engineering and Computer Science. Real-Time Systems: Kluwer Academic Publishers; Boston/Dordrecht; 1992; 444 + xiv pp.; £62-25; ISBN: 0-7923-9196-9 Reviewer." Matjaz COLNARIC University of Maribor, Slovenia The Kluwer International Series in Engineering and Computer Science, in its section devoted to real-time systems, combines a number of both theoretically and practically oriented works. Following the direction firmly set by one of the Series' first monographs, "Constructing Predictable Real Time Systems" by Halang and Stoyenko, this book definitely falls into the class of practically relevant and useful contributions. As Schiebe says in his preface, the editors' aim was to "make suggestions of different kinds of novel approaches to real-time systems engineering" while providing "a source book and a textbook at the same time". They gathered a long list of prevailingly German authors (with the exceptions of Hoogeboom and Stoyenko) contributing chapters in the domain of their expertise, "to cast light on this rapidly developing discipline from diverse angles without hamlonising the different perspectives the authors may have".
In spite of such shortcomings, the book certainly does provide a good tutorial to control and computer engineers involved in practice in the domain of realtime systems, and is also suitable to be used as a textbook for introductory courses in real-time systems. I am sure that this audience will find it worth reading.
The well-orgamsed book leads the reader through six parts, consisting of sixteen chapters. After the Introduction, in the part on Theoretical Foundations, the basic concepts concerning time and schedulability analysis are given. The next part covers Models and Tools, in particular Petri nets and requirements engineering. In the fourth part, titled Practical Considerations, seven practically oriented chapters dealing ,ith real-time programming languages, synchronisation concepts, database ~stems, processor architectures, system buses, distributed systems, and issues in robot programming are gathered. In the next part. two examples of applications from robotics and avionics are presented. Finally, some directions for future developments are given: The interesting field of artificial intelligence in real-time systems is briefly discussed, and a real-time systems curriculum is recommended.
Systematic Introduction to Expert Systems, by Frank PUPPE; Springer-Verlag; Berlin: 1993; 352 pp.; DM48-20; ISBN: 3-5490-5625-9 Reviewer: Abraham KANDEL University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA The increased interest in expert systems and the variety of applications in science and engineering indicate that the major problems in the development of "applied expert systems" are the acquisition and maintenance of knowledge as well as the validation and verification of expert systems. This is especially apparent in rule-based expert systems. The aim of Puppe's text, Systematic Introduction to Expert Systems, is to present the reader with the author's systematic view of the state of the art regarding the identification and realization of strong problem-solving techniques and to indicate the prospects for their integration within the domain of expert systems.
The book is in general self-contained; most chapters, however, also provide the reader with a number of good references for further reading. The editors say
907